Organ.



No. 653,214. Patented July I0, I900. M. CLARK.

ORGAN.

(Application filed Dec. 8, 1897.) (in Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

N0. 653,2l4. Patented July [0,1900. M. CLARK.-

DREAM- (Application filed Dec. 8, 1897.)

(N M el.) a Sheets-Sheet 2.

No. 653,2l4. Patented July it], I900;-

M. CLARK.

ORGAN.

(Applicution filed Dec. 8, 1897.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets$heet 3.

Mibaasfieg. fivenfo r.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MELVILLE CLARK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ORGAN- SIECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 653,214, dated July 10, 1900. Application filed December 3, 1897. Serial No. 660,574. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, MELVILLE CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Organs, which are fully set forth in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

This invention relates to improvements in mechanism for operatingappliances pertaining to a musical instrument which require a sustained movement independent of the bellows tension and under the control of the operator. Such appliances, for example, are the motor which operates the perforated music-' sheet in an automatic instrument and a mechanical tremolo device. Both of these are illustrated and described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the portion of an organ containing my improved appliances, the case being partially broken away to disclose the'same and their relation to the other general features of the instrument. Fig. 2 is a detail front elevation of a portion of the same mechanism, other 7 portions of the instrument being broken away to condense and disclose what is necessary to the understanding of my improvements. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan, section-being made at the line 3 3 on Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional side elevation at the plane of the line 4 a on Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation illustrating a modified tremolo action. Fig. 6 is a detail plan, section being made at the line 6 6 on Fig. 1.

I have shown in the drawings the manual and the mechanical connections from the manual-keys, which are represented conventionally and without intention to indicate any practical novelty or to show any novel features. In the same way I have illustrated so much of the reed-blocks, reed-valves, swell, wind-chest, tracker-range, and other parts of an automatic organ as is deemed necessary to indicate the relation of my improvements thereto, but without any intention to present details of these general parts or to show anything novel in them.

A represents a portion of the organ case or furniture, which is broken away to disclose the interior parts of the instrument.

B B are keys of the manual.

C is the windchest; D, a reed-block or block containing reed-chambers; E, the reedvalve, and F a motor-pneumatic which operates such valve. G is the swell or hood which muflles the reed-blocks and is lifted to swell the tone. 7

II is aportion of the tracker-range.

- I I, &c., represent ducts leading from the tracker-range to the primary pneumatics, of which one is shown at X.

J and J are the rolls to carry the perforated mu sic-sheet and are operated by the motor, some features of whose mechanism constitute part of the present invention. This motor in its general features as to the character of the train, governor, winding mechanism, &c., is fully described in my pending application, Serial No. 644,882, dated July 17, 1897, and will be only briefly described in this application. It comprises the plates H and H, which support the shaft of the train. The train is in two parts, one of which leads to theroll J, while the other leads to the roll J, power being'communicated from the motor-shaft h to either of the rolls at the will of H carried on a lever-arm H which is fulcrumed about the axis of a shaft I1 which receives power from the motor-sprin g through the antecedent portion of the train. This lever-arm H has suitable connections with a stop K, which is manipulated by the operator to make the shift. The roll J is restrained by a spring-brake L, which bears upon a frictional collar H provided on a shaft which carries the roll. This spring-brake is fastened to a lever L, fulcrumed on the frame, and the lever is extended into the path of the shifting lever H so that when the latter is shifted to a position to operate the winding train-that is, to operate the roll J the lever L is encountered and shifted ina position to apply the brake to the shaft of the roll J. Similarly, in order to prevent the paper from being too loosely rewound restraint is applied to the roll J by means of aspring-brake Liwhich is attached to the lever H and when the shift is made in a direction to bring, the rewinding-train into action comes into light contact with the hub of a gear on the rewinding-roll shaft.

The speed of the train is controlled by a centrifugal governor M, the spread of whose balls is restrained by springs M and is limited by the check-lever M against which the upper end of the sleeve M is thrust by the spread of the balls, causing friction, which checks the speed to such degree as to withdraw the sleeve out of contact. The degree to which the balls can spread before experiencing the restraining friction of the lever is thus determined by the position at which the lever is set, and the lever therefore governs the speed to any desired limit. A spring 071 tends to hold the lever downward, and it is lifted to any desired degree by means of the lever-arm N of the rock-shaft N, whose arm N is connected by the link N to the leverarm 0 of the rock-shaft 0, said rock-shaft having a lever-arm 0 which is connected by a link 0 to the inner end of the tempo-stop 0. The end portion of the lever M along the under end of which the upper end of the arm N moves when the tempo-stop is drawn out or thrust in, is curved or inclined with respect to the path of said upper end of the lever, so as to produce the necessary movement of the lever M as the stop is moved in and out more orless. When the motorhas been standing at rest for some time, its vertical shaft is liable to become set or stuck in its bearings by reason of the gumming of the oil with which it is lubricated, and on this account it may not always start promptly when the tempo-stop is removed to relieve it of the restraint of the check lever. On the other hand, when running at high speed, as when the tempo-stop is pulled out to the limit, if the stop is instantly pushed in to the limit the check-lever will not bring the governor, and thereby the motor, to an instant stop, as is sometimes desirable to produce an abrupt cessation of the travel of the paper. In order "to overcome both these defectsthat is, in

order to hasten the starting and render the stopping more abrupt-the Wrist n of the lever-arm N, which operates the check-lever M is extended beyond the same and given an additional bend at N and then further extended in the wrist it, and said wrist is connected to a slide-bar Q, which extends back in a plane at right angles to the shafts of the motor alongside of the vertical shaft of the governor, and said shaft is provided with a pinion or friction-pulley m. The slide-bar Q is guided at the rear end bypassing through the cross-bar Q. If a mere friction-pulley is used at m, the slide-bar is allowed slight oscillation as about a fulcrum on the crossbar Q, and the rear projecting end of the slide-bar is subjected to the stress of a spring Q tending to pull the rear end in a direction to force the forward portion toward the pulley m on the governor-shaft. On the side of the slide-bar adjacent to the collar is a rack or frictional abutment q, extending for a short distance along the slide -bar. When the tempo-stop is thrust in to cause the check lever M to arrest the governor, this rack or frictional abutment gon the slide-bar Q engages the pinion on the collar m and brings the governor to rest almost instantly. When the tempo-stop is pulled out, at the very commencement of this movement and simultaneously with the slightest lifting of the lever M to relieve the governor, the rack or frictional abutment q engages the pinion or pulley m, and rotates the governor in the direction in which the train would rotate it, and

thus operates the train, breaking the hold which the gum in its bearings may have upon the governor-shaft and leaving it free to run naturally under the impulse of the motorspring. The extent of the rack or frictionabutment q is only sufficient to give the start, and it is carried out of engagement by the time the tempo stop is drawn out far enough to permit the motor to operate at even the slowest time which will ever be suitable for the music, so that the device does not operate as a restraint or break at any time except when the tempo-stop is pushed in to the limit, as described.

In order that the same advantage of starting the motor promptly if it is stuck may be obtained for the purpose of rewinding action, the rock-shaft N is extended to the left and has a crank-arm N which engages a slot in the link K, which operates the shifting lever H the link being so located with respect to the crank-wrist and being of such length that the wrist plays freely in the slot throughout all the movement which can be caused by the tempo-stop when the shifting leveris in a position to operate the musicroll J-that is, to cause the music-sheet to travel for the purpose of playing-but when the rewinding-stop is pulled out (the tempostop being then supposedlypushed in) to operate the shifting lever to bring the rewinding-roll into action, the link K being pulled down, the upper end of the slot 70 engages the crank-Wrist N and rocks the shaft N in the same direction in which it is rocked by the pulling out of the tempo-stop and with the same effect on the check-lever M and the slide-bar Q-that is, with the effect to lift the check-lever from the governor and to cause the rack or abutment q to engage the pinion or pulley m to operate the governor. In this action it will be noticed that the tempo-stop will be pulled out to the limit, so that its position indicates that the governor is entirely relieved from the effect of the check-lever and is in condition to run to the maximum speed.

S is the tremolo, which is a vaned wheel mounted in suitable bearings supported in any proper manner upon the organ-case or action-frame. This tremolo extends in front of the reed-block D,occupying any convenient space in front of the same within the organ case where its rotation may produce the desired effect by agitating the air as it is drawn in through the reeds. At any convenient point on the shaft, preferably, as illustrated, somewhere between the ends where the vanes may be interrupted for the purpose, is a pulley S, driven by a light belt 3, which passes over a pulley S which is rigid with a pinion S journaled in a lever T, fulcrumed at t in the bar Q. This lever extends forward and is connected by a link T to the lever-arm T of the rock-shaft to whose arm T the tremolo-stop U is connected. The drawing of the stop U is thus adapted to raise and lower the lever T and carry the pinion S into and out of engagement with a gear-wheel H on the shaft H in the continuously-operated driving-train. Then the stop is pushed in, the pinion S is out of mesh with the gear H and when the stop is pulled out the pinion is thrown into mesh with the gear and the tremolo is rotated if the train is running.

By operating the tempo-stop at the same time the tremolo-stop is operated, the speed of the motor being regulated, the expression and intensity of the tremolo are controlled according to the judgment of the operator, producing a rapid and distinctly-marked vibration of tone or a mere wave-like effect or a tremulous vibratory eifect intermediate in degree between these two, as may be desired.

A slight modification of the tremolo mechanism herein shown adapts it to a vibrating mechanical tremolo, and such device is illustrated in Fig. 5, Z being the vibrating trem- 010, whose shaft 2 has a crank-arm Z, connected by a link .2 with a shorter crank-arm Z which is substituted for the pulley S in the construction shown in the principal figures, being rigid with the pinion S which is actuated in the manner already described. The crank-arm Z beingshorter than the crank-arm Z,the rotation of the former causes the vibration only of the latter and of the tremolo Z.

I claim- 1. In an organ, in combination with the sounding devices, automatic playing mechanism; the train which drives such automatic mechanism; stop connections for arresting and releasing the train to cause it to come to rest or permit it to operate; and a starting device connected to the stop connections and adapted to be moved in driving engagement with a shaft of the train by the train-releasing movement of the stop.

2. In an organ, in combination with the sounding devices; automatic playing mechanism; the train which drives such automatic mechanism; stop mechanism for arresting and releasing the train, and causing it to come to rest or permitit to operate; and a starting device constructed and arranged to engage with a shaft of the train to arrest the same and movable while thus engaged in a direction suitable for rotating the shaft and afterward passing out'of engagement therewith; such starting device having operative connection with the train-controlling stop mechanism calculated to cause said device to be carried out of such engagement by the completion of the train-releasing movement of said stop mechanism.

3. In an organ, in combination with the sounding devices, automatic playing devices comprising the playing and rewinding roll for carrying a perforated music-sheet or equivalent device, the mechanical motor which operates such rolls comprising trains in connection with the rolls respectively, and an actuated wheel which is adapted to be shifted into driving connection with either of said trains at will; a stop connection for arresting and releasing the train and a stop connection for shifting said Wheel; astarting device adapted to be moved in engagement with a shaft of the motor-train by the train-releasing movement of the first stop, said starting device having also connection with the shifting-stop connections, whereby it is similarly moved when the driving wheel is shifted to the rewinding-train.

t. In combination substantially as set forth, the automatic playing devices comprising the playing and rewinding rolls; the train which operates them comprising a gear which is shifted to communicate driving power to either of said rolls at will, and the lever which carries said gear; the governor or tempo-stop adapted to arrest and release the train, and the shifting stop adapted to shift said lever to change the connection of the gear thereon, a starting device comprising the bar Q having an abutment adapted to engage a shaft of the train; the rock-shaft N having lever-arms which operate respectively the train arresting device and the starting device, and having other lever-arms connected respectively to the tempo-stop and the shifting or rewinding stop, whereby the starting device is actuated upon the withdrawal of either of said stops.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of two witnesses, at Chicago, Illinois, this 23d day of November, 1897.

MELVILLE CLARK.

Witnesses:

CHAS. S. BURTON, JEAN ELLIOTT. 

